Line #50 Main/AngerIsNotEnough


1	->''"Anger gives motivation without purpose."''
2	-->-- '''Master Yi''', ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends''
3
4	Anger, rage, wrath, [[ThePowerOfHate hate]].
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6	Anyone who has been pushed past the point of caring knows that [[UnstoppableRage it can make them do incredible, if scary, things]]. Uninhibited by reason, strength [[UninhibitedMusclePower subconsciously kept in check is released]] in a [[HeroicRROD burst of unmaintainable strength]]. In fictionland, this can include working as a catalyst for triggering the SuperMode, to HulkingOut, to [[BurningWithAnger making you burst into flames]], [[AngstNuke to making you explode...]]. These powers make it easy to slaughter {{Mook}}s by the dozens. However, it is not enough to take out the heavier hitters.
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8	No matter how angry you get, no matter your determination, your rage-fueled powers just aren't enough to best the BigBad, TheDragon, or maybe even the QuirkyMinibossSquad. Anger, in other words, will hit a ceiling for how much power it can provide you. Faced with obstacles above that level, you'll need to find another way to fight or to augment your rage-granted powers with something else, before you break that ceiling.
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10	While this is often attained through [[TameHisAnger letting go of the anger]], and/or a MeditationPowerup, it is not a requirement. The only requirement for this trope to be in effect is that anger itself ''isn't'' enough to make someone/something perform at its peak, whereas something else ''is''.
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12	Compare BlindedByRage and FuryFueledFoolishness, which skip the "makes you stronger" part completely and cause your anger to actively hinder your performance.
13
14	'''As this trope often concerns elements later in a story, spoilers are to be expected.'''
15	----
16	!!Examples:
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18	[[foldercontrol]]
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20	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
21	* In ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'', Domon activates the Shining Gundam's SuperMode with his anger. While it does give him an advantage early in the series, once the Dark/Devil Gundam shows up it becomes ineffective against the stronger opponents. He then goes to the Guiana Highlands to train in which he gains his true super mode, [[EnlightenmentSuperpowers Meikyo Shisui (Clear as a Mirror, Still as Water)]], activated by being completely calm and maintaining a serene state of mind, which in turn unlocks the Burning/God Gundam's much more powerful Hyper Mode.
22	* {{Inverted\|Trope}} in ''Manga/{{Pluto}}''. Dr. Tenma says that positive emotions like kindness, understanding, and optimism aren't enough to create the perfect AI. They also need to feel emotions like anger, grief, and hatred [[MiseryBuildsCharacter to fully complete them]]. [[spoiler:Feeling Gesicht's lingering feelings of pain and hatred along with Epsilon's sorrow is what wakes Atom from his coma and lets him fly off to defeat Pluto once and for all.]]
23	-->'''Tenma:''' Listen, Professor Ochanomizu... you don't understand anything about artificial intelligence. Frustration and failure... seething hatred... Emotions so powerful they lead one to want to kill... ''That's'' what fosters true artificial intelligence... Perfection is in the mind that makes mistakes... And that, Professor, is what will give birth to ''[[ArcWords the greatest robot on Earth...]]''
24	* In ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'', Naruto's anger brings out the Nine Tails' power, especially after the TimeSkip when Jiraiya fiddles with Naruto's seal. But against more powerful opponents, his transformations start hindering Naruto because he's too BlindedByRage to fight effectively, barring when he almost unleashed the Nine Tails entirely against Pain. Once Naruto unlocks his GoldenSuperMode, he gains an even greater power boost while still keeping his rational mind.
25	* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Luffy uses his rage and anger to plow through an entire battlefield of Marine soldiers and pirates for the sake of saving his brother Ace. However, once Luffy makes it to the execution platform, he's effectively flattened by the Admirals. Kizaru echoes as much after knocking Luffy out.
26	-->'''Kizaru:''' Rage alone is not enough, Straw Hat. Without strength, you cannot save him.
27	* [[Characters/MyHeroAcademiaKatsukiBakugo Katsuki Bakugo]] from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' is known for his incredibly versatile "Explosion" quirk and his even more volatile temper. He is proven to be both powerful and skilled enough to face against villains and other opponents but falters at nearly every other category due to his abrasive attitude. This is best illustrated in the Entrance Exam: he scored the highest amount of Villain points (points earned from destroying attack robots) but scored absolutely zero rescue points (points scored from assisting other attendees and other acts of heroism). He is told repeatedly by various individuals from All Might to Best Jeanest that while he is incredibly talented, his UnstoppableRage will make him fall short of becoming the No. 1 pro-hero. This is shown when he was one of the few students to fail his License Exam because the point of the exam was to rescue civilians, and while he ''did'' rescue them, his utter abrasiveness and temper docked him points since he's also supposed to reassure them rather than yell and curse.
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30	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
31	* ''Franchise/StarWars'': ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'': At the climax, Anakin believes that his anger-fueled use of the dark side now makes him more powerful than ''anyone'', including Emperor Palpatine and Anakin's former mentor Obi-Wan. However, it is not clear during his lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan that he actually possesses any new powers, as opposed to just fighting more aggressively than he had before. While the novelisation does suggest that he really is getting more powerful, and the Emperor certainly believes it, this power comes at the cost of his rational judgement. Obi-Wan is largely on the defensive during the fight, but Anakin loses the duel because Obi-Wan uses rational tactical planning to control the fight and ultimately gain a solid defensive position on a slope. When Anakin angrily tries to jump over him, he is able to sever three of Anakin's limbs in a single strike.
32	* ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': Magneto initially requires tapping into his anger and pain to use his magnetic abilities, which is initially not a problem as [[DarkAndTroubledPast he has plenty to call upon]]. However, Xavier is convinced he is only scratching the surface of the power he is capable of. Xavier proves to be correct, as by convincing Magneto instead to utilize his happier memories of his family, it dramatically enhances not only his control over his abilities, but his scale. In ''Apocalypse'', he seems to reach all new heights courtesy of Apocalypse, nearly tearing the planet apart in a TranquilFury, but Xavier angrily tells Apocalypse that all he's done is tap into Magneto's rage and pain and this hasn't actually made him any more powerful.
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35	[[folder:Literature]]
36	* ''Literature/AccelWorld'':
37	** When Silver Crow is [[ClingyCostume taken over by the Disaster Armor]], it bonds with him so completely that he manifests [[AllYourPowersCombined the combined powers of all previous Disasters]] and goes on a murderous rampage against everything in his path. That is until he encounters [[SuperToughness Iron]] [[BoxingBattler Pound]], a veteran Burst Linker who put all his effort into sharpening his fundamentals so that he'd be ready to fight the Armor if it appeared again. Because [[SuperpoweredEvilSide "The Beast"]] is a brute with [[HowDoIShotWeb no idea of its powers' strengths and weaknesses]], it makes lots of slip-ups (e.g. trying to [[YouWillNotEvadeMe pull its opponent closer]] with a hookshot attack that can't penetrate armour) which Pound can punish it for. Eventually it's so hard-pressed that it has to relinquish some control back to Crow just to survive.
38	** {{Inverted}} by Ardor Maiden - her Incarnate techniques are normally born from positive feelings and mostly limited to support, but she also secretly develops "Purgatory Blaze": a giant LavaPit capable of killing even {{Kaiju}}-level enemies. Her friends are horrified to learn that she's been ''practising'' how to feel [[PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery such intense, indiscriminate anger and hatred]], begging her not to use it lightly for fear of becoming lost in those feelings, but nonetheless it becomes an extremely useful tool in the team's arsenal.
39	* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}:'' One book has Rachel gets split into two people: one a LeeroyJenkins with no ability to plan beyond "get angry and kill things in grizzly bear morph" (Mean Rachel), the other a cringing whiner who bursts into tears at the drop of a hat but can actually plan things out (Nice Rachel). Towards the end, both end up trapped by Visser Three, with Mean Rachel recognizing she can't do anything in this situation. Nice Rachel resolves it by threatening to enter the Visser's ear in fly morph and demorphing, killing herself, the Visser, and the Visser's host body. He lets them go.
40	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has the [[AgonyBeam Cruciatus Curse]].
41	** During the fifth book, Harry uses it on Bellatrix [=LeStrange=] while burning with righteous anger at her for murdering his godfather. This allows him to use the Curse at all, but Bellatrix notes it doesn't hurt her much, because a Cruciatus Curse fueled by anger pales in comparison to one fueled by ''sadism'' - which she is used to slinging around.
42	** True to form, he utilises it once again against a Death Eater, Amycus Carrow just before the Battle of Hogwarts with ''much'' better results as he is not blinded by the pain of loss and his hatred is much more calculated and cold (and it's ''still'' not as effective as schadenfreude).
43	--->"I see what Bellatrix meant," said Harry, the blood thundering through his brain, "you need to really mean it."
44	* From ''Franchise/StarWars'':
45	** This is the whole philosophy of the old Jedi Order, who believe that while anger (and TheDarkSide of the Force in general) is a [[EvilIsEasy quick and easy]] way to a lot of power, true mastery of the Force (which far exceeds the potency of the dark side) requires [[TheFettered temperance and self-control]].
46	** Even for the Sith, and dark side Force-users in general, pure anger (and other raw emotions) only take you so far. True masters of the dark side have to learn to yoke the raw power of their emotions with a clarity of thought. A [[TheBerserker berserker]]-esque Darth Maul type might be a physical threat to two or three Jedi at a time, but a [[TheChessmaster cold, cruel, calculating]] Darth Sidious type can bring the galaxy to its knees without ever touching a [[LaserBlade lightsaber]]. In addition, if you give in ''too much'' to your anger, you're no longer a master of the dark side but a slave to it.
47	--->'''Emperor Palpatine''': Nothing is more natural than surrendering to that power. Death, pain, rage. . . these are the tools of the Sith. But I offer a warning. Fall too deep, and the relationship turns. ''You'' become the tool, and they. . . your masters.
48	* In the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series, the titular weapon both strengthens and is strengthened by anger, but in order to unlock its full potential, one must learn to wield it [[ThePowerOfLove in love]] as well.
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51	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
52	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' [[PlayedWith plays with the trope]]. Ghosts in the series are only able to interact with the world and utilise their powers, either by tapping into extreme anger or complete calm. Whilst anger is easier and produces more immediate response, as another ghost warns the recently deceased Bobby Singer, it is unsustainable. Embracing it only speeds up the inevitable insanity and decay, that all ghosts are doomed to suffer. Whilst calm allows one to stave off this fate for decades.
53	* {{Discussed}} in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage "The Cage."]] Yes, anger and other strong emotions can keep the alien telepaths from reading you for a while, but Vina points out that the degree of it needed to do so can't be kept up for very long.
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56	[[folder:Video Games]]
57	* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'':
58	** Asura is a rage-powered demigod who was betrayed by his fellow demigods and became their scapegoat for their OneWorldOrder. The gods in turn were cast as {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s, killing mortals for their [[SoulPower souls]] to combat Vlitra, [[GaiasVengeance the will of the planet]]. His rage at being betrayed, as well as having his wife killed and daughter kidnapped, made him powerful enough to come BackFromTheDead, and rampage through their number and their forces. The Vlitra proves too much for him, and it is only once his daughter channels the remaining SoulPower into him that he is able to defeat it.
59	** It is subverted in Asura's series of fights against the TrueFinalBoss, [[{{God}} Chakravatin]] - while his newfound SoulPower-fueled anger gets him a lot of the way, allowing him to blow up planets, stars, and make {{God}} go OneWingedAngel on him, he initially requires the implantation of the Karma Fortress's Mantra Reactor into his body to help regulate his rage-fueled power [[HeroicRROD lest it destroy him outright]] (which grants him his most powerful form), and it is eventually his raw anger at how GodIsEvil that allows him to persevere after Chakravatin [[BroughtDownToBadass takes away]] his SoulPower.
60	* Alluded to in the generals challenge of ''Videogame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' - after an RTS BossRush, you face General Leang who has [[AllYourPowersCombined every single general-specific unit and perk]], who likens your thrashing of the other generals previously as a display of rage that will peter out against her.
61	--> '''General Leang:''' Rage will only get you so far General. Now rage and a column of tanks, ''that'' will get you somewhere.
62	* In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', Master Yi was a student of the ancient blademaster art of Wuju, an art that required serenity and focus. When invaders came to surrounding towns, he couldn't sit by and watch, so he went to battle. The invaders saw the power of Wuju and turned their attention to his clan's home, turning it into a DoomedHometown while he was away. The resultant anger allowed Yi to become peerless in battle...until he met a trickster Monkey adept at ConfusionFu, constantly taunting him through their battles. It was only through calming his rage that Yi was able to see through the monkey's illusions, allowing him to put his peerless swordsmanship to work against even slippery foes.
63	* ''Franchise/StreetFighter:'' The ''Satsui No Hado'' is a powerful Ki born of negative emotions, including that of rage and anger - it makes whomsoever succumbs to it incredibly powerful and grants access to numerous {{Dangerous Forbidden Technique}}s, and [[TheHero Ryu]] succumbs to it in an attempt to kill Akuma, who has all but mastered it. It's not enough, and it's only through accessing [[EnlightenmentSuperpowers The Power of Nothingness]] that Ryu is able to eventually defeat Akuma.
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66	[[folder:Web Animation]]
67	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': A recurring theme in the fights:
68	** [[Characters/RWBYYangXiaoLong Yang Xiao Long's]] semblance is based on her anger. When she gets angry, her power skyrockets. Unfortunately, it proves to not help her in her fight against Adam, who overpowers her and [[spoiler:cuts off one of her arms]]. By round two, not only does [[spoiler: she have a mechanical prosthesis]], but she is fighting Adam [[ThePowerOfFriendship along with Blake, one of her friends]].
69	** Lie Ren, who is normally TheQuietOne, goes absolutely berserk when fighting The Nuckelavee, [[spoiler: because it [[YouKilledMyFather killed his parents]] and [[DoomedHometown destroyed his home village]]]]. Not only does this fail to help him in any way, but he winds up hindering his own teammates in the process; it takes a GetAHoldOfYourselfMan from Nora to get him to calm down, at which point Team RNJR finishes it off with very little effort.
70	** Part of Watts’ TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to [[Characters/RWBYCinderFall Cinder Fall]] is this trope, explaining that being angry and deserving isn’t enough when you don’t use your brain and put in the work properly. Unfortunately for the heroes, she actually takes this advice to heart.
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73	[[folder:Web Comics]]
74	* ''Webcomic/ItsWalky'': During the Britja raid on SEMME, Dina gets enraged by a Britja telling her not to take them destroying all her work personally because it's "just a bunch of science", and tries tackling them, only to get casually swatted aside.
75	-->'''Britja:''' Rage, Ms. Sarazu, but no power.
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78	[[folder:Western Animation]]
79	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender:'' [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Zuko's]] firebending is primarily fueled by anger throughout the series. When he loses it, he and Aang learn that the ancient firebending tradition is much more powerful than anger-fueled firebending. Realizing that anger is temporary and not powerful enough to sustain him is what brings his bending back.
80	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Once she is bested by Jasper, Amethyst becomes obsessed with defeating her, and uses her determination and frustration at her loss to try and overpower Jasper. She fails spectacularly, as Jasper is just far too strong to be damaged just because Amethyst is angry. It's also at this point Steven has a heart-to-heart with Amethyst. [[spoiler:Ultimately, this calms Amethyst down enough for her to [[SiblingFusion fuse with Steven and become Smoky Quartz]]. In this form, she's still weaker than Jasper, but her special skills give her a serious advantage Jasper cannot match.]]
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Context Main / AngerIsNotEnough